Yeast & Grape Pairing A MoreManual !™ by Shea A.J. Comfort www.MoreWine.com 1-800-823-0010 An Introduction to Yeast & Grape Pairing up to that point. But what if, for example, each year you find yourself wanting some spice and a bit more tannic intensity This paper was created to help winemakers make the best, from your Syrah, and all you keep getting are general, soft fruit educated decision about choosing which strain(s) will best characters. If you were only exposed to the one yeast you had compliment their winemaking. The first section introduces been using up till now, you would never know that there were and explores a few of the reasons for using different yeast indeed other strains out there that could help to bring those during fermentation, and shows how this approach can be missing qualities to your wine. applied to either single yeast batches or lots involving multiple Research in the past fifteen years has shown that wines made strains. The second part of the paper is the actual listing of the from the same must that was broken down and fermented in pairings. Each varietal has a list of associated yeast that have separate lots using different yeast strains still show persistent been chosen because they compliment specific characters in differences even after five years in the bottle. What this means that grape. It is important to remember, however, that these is that the yeast choices you make now will directly shape that characteristics are general and that the same yeast strain used wine and will make it unique throughout its lifetime. This is with the same varietal coming from two different vineyards actually quite helpful to know because it shows that we actually will end up expressing slightly different qualities. In addition, have quite a bit of influence over how the wine will turn out that same strain when used with two different types of grapes starting right from the very beginning of the fermentation can often wind-up producing different sets of flavours and itself. The only thing required on our part as winemakers is aromas, as well. For example, a strain may produce berry taking the time to understand the various options that the flavours with Cabernet Sauvignon and more plum ones in yeast can give us. Tempranillo. This is not always the case, but where it does happen, the descriptions on the list take this into account. This is where learning from experience really comes into play. In the end, only experimentation can guarantee success, but Obviously, the best scenario would be to be able to try all this pairing guide should be able to effectively narrow down of the recommended yeast strains on a type of fruit we were the possibilities for you and get you further down the road already familiar with and judge for ourselves which yeast was to making the wine you want to make. So, with that in mind, best suited to producing the wine we had in mind. However, lets take a look at what impact yeast choice can have in our this may not always be practical. So, the next best thing would winemaking. be to use the feedback of others who have had experience using these strains and use that as an educated starting Yeast Strain selection — A Powerful Tool to Help point in developing our own yeast preferences. This is where Shape Your Wines! MoreWine!’s yeast/grape pairing guide comes into play. The information found here was compiled from extensive industry Most winemakers know that great fruit makes great wine, research, client feedback and our own in-house experience. but what they often overlook is the fact that very different Each recommendation represents a thorough overview of styles of wine could have been made from that same fruit. An what is possible for each strain in the selected varietal and is a exceptional vineyard can produce wines that are light with an great place to start from. intense clarity of fresh fruit, or wines that are darkly complex, When using the chart it is important to notice that out of spicy and voluptuous. Both are great, just different. What is all of the possible categories such as fruit quality, mouthfeel important to realize here is that each of these final wine styles contribution, tannin/structural impact, floral and possible is in a large part related to the choice of yeast used. Yeast has spice enhancement, some yeast do a few of these elements, a tremendous impact on the final wine and understanding the some do just one, but no single yeast does them all. So, what unique qualities that each strain has will allow you to make does that mean? Well, depending on whether you are going to the best choices needed, in order to make your ideal wine. use a single strain or a blend of yeast during the winemaking, Yet, a lot of winemakers aren’t really clear about which strain(s) this will affect which strain(s) may be the best choice to achieve will help them create the wine they have in their mind’s palette, the desired results. so they usually just end up choosing a generally recommended strain and go with that year after year. Now this may be perfectly fine if you have always been happy with your wine MoreWine!™ MoreManuals are trademarks of MoreFlavor!™ Inc. This document is copy written by MoreFlavor!™ Inc. Choosing a Single Strain missing from your ideal wine. Is it body, spice notes, brighter If you are going to use a single strain, then it makes sense fruit, or perhaps more complexity? Whatever it may be, now to choose a yeast that will by itself deliver the most qualities the focus needs to shift from choosing a generally balanced possible for the style of wine you wish to make. However, yeast to choosing individual yeast strains that will be able to when we start looking at the yeast selection charts, we can bring the specific, desired qualities required to complete your see that within a given category there is actually more than blend. one strain that is known to give that particular characteristic. Interestingly, with this new criteria in mind you may find So, which of these is the best choice? Well, remember that yourself choosing various yeast that may not necessarily be that even though they may share this one characteristic, the great single-strain selections. Some may be too simplistically strains will differ in the other ways that they impact a finished. fruity or predominantly heavy-handed and structural in their So, care should be taken to choose which strain not only has impact by themselves. But, much as in the same way a little bit the primary attribute you are looking for, but the desirable of salt and pepper can help to round out and lift the flavour secondary ones, as well. and aroma of a freshly scrambled egg, those specific yeast can For example, when making Syrah, the strain ICV-D254 end up making the difference between a wine that is good and emphasizes the fruit, gives some spice but more than anything one that is great. It all comes down to learning how to create a adds a lot to the mouthfeel of the finished wine. Yet, if you balanced complexity in our wines, and learning how to use the wanted the classic violet, floral tones that Syrah can often unique qualities that each strain may have to offer is a large have, the ICV-D254 will not provide them. On the other hand part of that process. using the SYR yeast will give these floral notes and as a bonus it will also emphasize the fruit qualities of the grape like the In Summary ICV-D254 does: But, even though the SYR has given you those Whether you are going to be using a single strain or already violet, floral elements that you were seeking, it does not give a convert to blending multiple lots, hopefully the information the same elevated mouthfeel contribution that the ICV-D254 presented here will inspire you to spend a little more time does. In the end both are actually great choices for making thinking about your yeast selection. The yeast are a very high quality Syrah, but in this particular scenario it just comes powerful tool in creating whatever style of wine we are after down to choosing whether you want big mouthfeel or violets. and the more we can learn about what each of them can bring to the fermentation, then the closer we get to creating our The Best of all World: Blending Multiple Strains! ideal wines. Yes, there are quite a few strains to choose from. Of course, the way to have your cake and eat it too is to use While this may seem intimidating at first, it is actually quite combinations of yeast and then blend them post fermentation. empowering because it means that chances are a good match By approaching winemaking this way, you are allowing yourself can be crafted for each of our individual tastes. We just have full access to all of the potential combinations that could be to take the time to find it. In the end, winemaking is a lifelong used for creating the wine you have in mind. You are no longer pursuit of knowledge and experience gained through fine- having to choose which of the desired characteristics you can tuning a series of trials and errors. We get one shot each year get by without, now you can actually have them all.